With excerpt from her 2009 book, “Echoes in the Glen: St. Malachi’s of Doe Run,” Kathleen Hood began to articulate what St. Malachi’s has come to mean not only to herself, but to generations of parishioners who have worshipped in that “small white chapel” tucked deep into the heart of the rolling green hills of Cochranville.

In 2003, Hood experienced three devastating losses: the death of her mother, her subsequent resignation of her beloved teaching position to be with her father, and his death six months later.

A friend had recently introduced her to St. Malachi’s, and the church instantly intrigued her, beckoning her to learn more. After writing a note to the pastor inquiring after the church’s history, she learned that not much was known about it.

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Hood remembers entering St. Malachi’s grounds wielding a camera first, rather than a pen. “I decided to come out to start taking photos to find beauty again,” Hood said.

The beauty she found there has touched the hearts and souls of Pennsylvania parishioners for 175 years.

On July 7, St. Malachi’s commemorated its 175th anniversary with a celebration mass conducted by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, St. Malachi’s the Rev. Victor J. Eschbach and 12 other clergy from throughout Pennsylvania.

The clergy arrived at St. Malachi’s in a horse-drawn carriage preceded by bagpipers, the Cara School of Irish Dance and the Knights of Columbus Color Corps, all in full regalia. After the mass, the 500 attendees continued the celebration with various bagpipe tattoos, Celtic concerts and plenty of fun and food.

“We all squeezed into that little chapel and celebrated the Lord’s presence,” Eschbach said. “Everything cooperated except the weather, which was very hot and humid, but that didn’t dull the enthusiasm of the people there. It’s the community we’re building for the future that is most important.”

St. Malachi’s was built in 1838 by Northern Irish immigrants who settled in Londonderry. In the 1700s, Jesuit priests and circuit-riding priests would hold masses in barns and fields for the few Catholics dispersed throughout the colony.

In 1771, the grandson of Irish immigrant Thomas Maguire, was dying from tuberculosis. One day as he walked with his father throughout their land, he requested to be buried between the two cedar trees at the top of the hill on their farm. In August of that year, a blood-red gravestone marked the ground where his body lay.

The Maguires donated one square acre of land surrounding the gravesite to be designated as a Catholic burying ground in the 1790s, and in 1838, after several failed attempts to construct a church adjoining the graveyard, St. Malachi’s — the oldest standing Catholic church in Chester County — was established. Its first mass was held on Jan. 1, 1839, in the brand-new, plastered, pew-less church.

Today, St. Malachi’s is part of the trio of churches that compose the Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Parkesburg, along with the Schneider Parish Center, and the actual Our Lady of Consolation Church. Three pastors, including Eschbach, currently rotate between the three parish sites during each mass.

The composite parish will be celebrating its 160th anniversary on Sept. 8. For more information, visit www.olcchurch.org/

Since its inception, St. Malachi’s always has been and will continue to be a “mission church” and a “peoples’ church,” according to Hood. Although the community honors their vibrant Catholic and Celtic heritage, “St. Malachi’s is attended by people of all religions,” Hood said.

Eschbach was appointed to St. Malachi’s 20 years ago. “I’ve been blessed to serve here,” he said. “This is one of the most beautiful spots on the face of the earth. It reflects God’s glorious beauty, peace and serenity. You very much experience the presence of God as you revel in the glory of his creation.”

Eschbach also values the strong sense of community emanating from that “small white chapel” and its approximately 100 parishioners.

“There is a warmth in this community, too,” he said. “People don’t rush away; they stay and chit-chat and catch up with each other, even though many live far away.”

The church continues to rise to meet its parishioners’ needs while maintaining its cherished legacy. In 1994, the church installed toilets and air-conditioning “in order to rescue wilting brides and melting grooms during the summer,” Eschbach said, laughing.

When Hood sought to preserve the core essence of St. Malachi’s for future generations, she initially found it impossible to write the book itself. After taking a myriad of photos and “finding beauty again,” the church’s rich Celtic heritage captured her imagination, inspiring her to write three songs.

“Echoes in the Glen” reflects the Irish immigrants’ struggles to survive and thrive in this new world. “Footprints on Sacred Ground” pays homage to those who have walked there in days gone by and those who will walk there in days to come. “Blessing of the Fields” symbolizes the end of the story as the grass of the hills and fields dance and play in the golden sunshine.

Only upon this scaffold could Hood build the larger story behind St. Malachi’s.

Despite the many storms it has weathered as it struggled to remain viable as a mission church in a rapidly changing world without one resident priest, parishioners know that the “small white chapel” has defined and retained its niche in history.

“This historic gem of Chester County continues to thrive, meeting those challenges head-on,” Hood said. “I felt so strongly that this story needed to be told.”